The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 230 I Can Beat You Up
On the sidelines, Phil Jackson watched the entire offensive and defensive play and had a clear understanding of the situation.

Although Tang Bei completed the tornado attack, he needed more time to establish position and attack compared to his previous games against O'Neal.

This means that if auxiliary defense is arranged, the restrictions on Tangbei will be even greater.

O'Neal still couldn't defend Tang Bei one-on-one, which disappointed him somewhat, but he was actually quite satisfied with the result.

One of Elden Campbell's core strengths is his ability to help defend.

It has good lateral movement speed, can quickly move from the weak side to the strong side to provide help defense, and also has sweeping help defense capabilities, making it very strong in help defense and blocking.

He is now looking forward to the inside combination of O'Neal and Campbell, which can, to some extent, suppress Tang Bei's low-post offense.

0:2, Lakers on offense.

Jordan received the ball on the left wing, and O'Neal called for the ball in the low post on the left wing.

Phil Jackson stared at the court, trying to figure out how the 160-kilogram O'Neal would perform in one-on-one situations against Tang Bei on offense.

O'Neal struggled to push into the paint, but Tang Bei's low stance was firmly planted on the floor, his toes curled down, and with his full strength and physical strength, he held off O'Neal's key position.

"how is this possible?"

He found that even though he weighed 160 kilograms, he still couldn't squeeze Tang Bei, which he could hardly believe.

But then I realized that his greatest advantage has never been absolute strength, but rather the terrifying kinetic energy formed by the combination of his tonnage and explosive power.

As long as he moves, with his current momentum, he can definitely knock Tang Bei away.

At that moment, he received a pass from Jordan, dribbled, and then crashed into Tang Bei.

"Oh!"

A tremendously heavy impact rang out, and Tang Bei instantly felt a force far exceeding that of O'Neal when he was in position. His upper body was thrown backward, and his stance loosened.

"it is good!"

Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson were immediately struck by this sight.

I'll knock you over!

Although it felt like he had bumped into a wall, O'Neal saw out of the corner of his eye that Tang Bei's upper body had moved. He was very excited, knowing that the time for revenge had come.

However, due to the terrifying recoil, his massive body also paused, and he was unable to advance into the restricted area.

"This guy's explosive power is really strong!"

When his horse stance was loosened by the impact and his upper body was knocked backward, Tang Bei quickly adjusted his footing, took a small step back five centimeters, and before O'Neal could exert force to push him back up, he put his horse stance back up and once again used his chest to block O'Neal, and then exerted all his strength to resist.

"damn it!"

O'Neal tried to post up again, but Tang Bei held him off. Without enough space, his size and explosiveness couldn't generate kinetic energy, and he couldn't move Tang Bei with sheer force. As a result, his second post-up was less effective than his first.

"Snapped!"

Tang Bei seized the opportunity to poke the ball away, and John Starks rushed down to retrieve it. The referee pointed towards the Knicks' frontcourt, signaling a change of possession.

"I was impressed the first time, but not the second time. Tang Bei's defensive skills are too strong!" Xu Jicheng shouted excitedly.

"Tang Bei's defensive strength is truly formidable; their ability to withstand attacks is incredibly strong!" Han Qiaosheng exclaimed in surprise.

"Being able to withstand 160 kilograms of Shaquille O'Neal, it feels like Tang Bei's strength has increased. What do you guys think?" Sun Zhenping said with a smile.

“I think so too,” the other two nodded in agreement.

On the sidelines, Phil Jackson looked rather serious.

The first time he used a post-up move, it was effective, but the second time it wasn't, which shows that O'Neal still had some problems with his post-up technique.

For example, if the connection between two post-up moves is not tight enough, it will affect the skills of continuous power generation, as well as the ability to dribble and coordinate the ball with the player.

But at least we see hope, which is better than having no hope at all.

On the field, Chris Childs brought the ball to the left wing.

He used Mason's screen to drive to the wing, drawing George Lynch's double team.

After the ball was separated, Mason Jr. did not stay outside; he immediately cut into the penalty area and received a pass from Childs.

Mason Jr. primarily plays off-ball, but also takes on some ball-handling and passing duties. His catch-and-shoot and pull-up jumper mid-range shots are very consistent, and his shooting range covers the free-throw line and the 45-degree angles on both wings, making him a key finisher for the Knicks in the mid-range.

"brush!"

He received the ball in the left elbow area and immediately jumped to shoot, making the shot.

0-4, Lakers on offense, Knicks set up 3-2 zone defense.

Nick van Exel dribbled the ball close to the top of the arc, and before Childs could close in, he suddenly used his signature acceleration and change of direction to break past him.

His defense is relatively weak; his core value lies in the offensive end. He is a short and stocky guard with high explosiveness.

He has top-notch ball-handling skills, a balanced ability to organize and score, fierce mid-range firepower, a big heart, excellent clutch ability, and is extremely aggressive on offense.

His breakthrough speed was very fast, and when he broke through to the right elbow area, he did not attract a double team.

With Childs behind him, Oakley's help defense hadn't arrived yet, and Knicks shooting guard John Starks on the right wing didn't come over to double-team, not daring to leave Jordan open.

In this situation, he immediately stopped and jumped to shoot from a tight open spot.

The mid-range pull-up jump shot is one of Van Exel's signature moves, accounting for 60% of his shots, with a 42% success rate, which is average.

"brush!"

Water splashes, two points hit.

Michael Brin said, "One of Van Exel's shortcomings in the past was that he relied too much on his one-on-one ability, made aggressive decisions, and made a lot of mistakes."

Tom Tolbert said, "After playing alongside Michael Jordan for a season last year, this problem has improved a lot."

Michael Brin quipped, "If I don't do it well, Michael Jordan will tear me apart."

“Ha ha…” Tom Tolbert laughed.

2-4, Knicks on offense.

Tang Bei received the ball in the low post on the left wing. Last time he used the Tornado, this time he wanted to test O'Neal's current strength by going up against him.

Facing upwards, he used his left elbow to brace against O'Neal, giving his shoulder nearly a foot of space, and then suddenly dribbled and backed down the ball.

"If it doesn't move, is my maxed-out power a lie?"

The light but not heavy post-up move didn't really shake O'Neal; he felt like he used at least 70% of his strength.

Seeing that O'Neal didn't move an inch, both Jordan on the court and Phil Jackson off the court excitedly raised their fists.

"Oh!"

In the next instant, Tang Bei attacked with all his might. With a heavy thud, O'Neal leaned back and slammed his back heavily onto the floor, making the floor bounce a few times.

"Oh!"

"WOW!"

A gasp of surprise erupted in Madison Square Garden, which then turned into a huge cheer.

"boom!"

Tang Bei flew over O'Neal and slammed the ball into the basket with a tomahawk dunk.

"how is this possible?"

"what?"

Jordan and Phil Jackson were speechless when they saw this.

Jeff Van Gundy excitedly pumped his fist, suddenly thinking of his older brother Stan Van Gundy, his mentor Pat Riley, and former Heat head coach Kevin Longley.

With a peerless player like Tang Bei on our team, is winning the championship still a problem? Is becoming the best coach still a problem? Is becoming the All-Star head coach still a problem?

Didn't his brother and Lengley become the Eastern Conference All-Star head coach and last season's Coach of the Year thanks to Tang Bei?

"impossible!"

Shaquille O'Neal, who was knocked over, could hardly believe that someone of his size could be knocked over.
"Hmph, what's the use of having a large tonnage if your base is unstable?" Tang Bei said and left.

"The next move?"

O'Neal suddenly had the idea of ​​practicing horse stance. He had learned horse stance when he practiced Tai Chi before, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

But the thought of constantly training immediately dispelled that idea.

As Tang Bei ran past Jordan, he said, "Air Jordan, 160 kilograms of Shaq is still not enough. Why don't you suggest he gain weight to 180 kilograms?"

Jordan's eye twitched. How could O'Neal, who weighs 180 kilograms, still run?

He knew that O'Neal was very strong now, extremely strong, terrifyingly strong, and had been dominating in the low post in the first two games.

It can be said that apart from Tang Bei, this great shark has no rivals in the league now.

But even the formidable O'Neal was no match for Tang Bei. 2:6, Lakers on offense.

Van Exel dribbled to the right wing and quickly got rid of Chris Childs using Jordan's screen outside the three-point line.

Childs fell behind, forcing John Starks to switch on defense, but Van Exel quickly passed the ball to Jordan.

"brush!"

Jordan took an open three-pointer and made it.

5-6, Knicks on offense.

"Bang!"

Campbell double-teams Tang Bei, Tang Bei passes the ball to Oakley, Oakley misses an open shot, Eber grabs the rebound, and the Lakers attack.

“Huh!”

Phil Jackson blew a scoundrel's whistle and then made a tactical hand signal.

Jordan had the ball at the top of the key, and O'Neal and Campbell set a screen at the free-throw line. Campbell blocked Tang Bei, and then O'Neal took the opportunity to run to the basket.

Tang Bei tried to push Campbell aside, but it was too late.

Oakley switched to defend O'Neal and followed him to the basket, but Jordan's pass went over the rim.

"boom!"

With a loud thud, the Knicks' backboard was slammed down more than a foot by O'Neal's powerful dunk, and Oakley was also knocked down under the basket.

"Di!"

The referee blew his whistle.

"Ow!"

O'Neal pounded his chest excitedly and roared at Oakley on the floor.

"Shet!"

Oakley got up angrily.

At that moment, the referee came over and gave Oakley a defensive foul, because Oakley had just elbowed O'Neal in the face.

"Pretty!"

Michael Breen praised, "O'Neal and Jordan executed an alley-oop, and Shaq's dominance is second only to Tang Bei in the entire league."

Tom Tolbert said, "If we don't count Tang Bei, since O'Neal gained weight to 155 kilograms last season, his low-post dominance can even be said to be the greatest in NBA history."

Michael Breen said, "The high pick-and-roll just now caught Tang Bei off guard. O'Neal rarely uses this tactic."

Tom Tolbert nodded and said, "As long as it's not Tang Bei guarding him, O'Neal can dominate any opponent in the low post."

O'Neal then missed the free throw, making it 7-6, with the Lakers leading on the road. The Knicks then went on offense.

Tang Bei positioned himself at the high post, gave Chris Childs a tactical hand signal, and two seconds later suddenly performed a Tai Chi turn, shaking off O'Neal and quickly cutting towards the basket.

Chris Childs, who was prepared, stepped back and passed the ball to the basket as Tang Bei turned around.

"boom!"

The next moment, Tang Bei slammed the Lakers' basket down with a powerful two-handed dunk.

Chris Childs excitedly pumped his fist. He was best at passing to key players and felt most comfortable playing alongside Tang Bei. No wonder Avery Johnson could earn millions of dollars a year with the Spurs.

"Haha, Severe Fear has returned the favor to Shaq in an even simpler way," Michael Brin laughed.

"Yes, he didn't call a pick and roll, and his offensive speed was so fast that Campbell didn't even have time to get back to defend the basket," Tom Tolbert said excitedly.

7:8, Lakers on offense.

The game continued, and the Lakers kept the score close, preventing the Knicks from gaining an advantage.

Although Tang Bei still has an advantage in the low post, O'Neal is indeed much stronger than last season. He must put in more effort on both offense and defense to gain an advantage over O'Neal.

Because of O'Neal's presence, he didn't have much energy to help defend Jordan, allowing Jordan to unleash his offensive firepower to the fullest.

After the first quarter, the score was tied at 30-30.

唐北9投7中，3罚2中，砍下16分。

乔丹8投5中，2罚2中，拿到12分。

奥尼尔6投3中，3罚1中，拿到7分。

Xu Jicheng said, "It's a tie, but the current situation is somewhat unfavorable for the Knicks because this is their home court."

On the Lakers' bench, after the players sat down, Phil Jackson squatted down in front of Jordan and O'Neal and said, "Michael, Shaq, Nick, now it's time to test your teamwork."

The three nodded.

Van Exel was tasked with driving and dishing the ball in Phil Jackson's triangle offense.

O'Neal was tasked with drawing the defense in the low post, using his abilities to draw Tang Bei to the low post.

After the two players drew the defense, Jordan became the finisher.

The three players should always maintain a triangle formation to ensure that the basketball can be passed between any two points.

In the first quarter, they didn't execute the triangle offense, but instead focused on drive-and-kick tactics to test the Knicks' defensive system.

The second quarter began shortly afterward.

Both sides substituted some reserve players. Tang Bei and Oakley did not play, nor did Jordan and O'Neal.

Rookie Kobe replaced Jordan and was matched up against Wilkins. He started asking for the ball as soon as he crossed half-court, which was very bold and showed the fearlessness of a newborn calf.

Rookie backup point guard Fisher passed the ball to Kobe, who caught it with both hands, faked an upward movement, and then immediately ducked to drive hard from the outside.

Wilkins is strong offensively but weak defensively, but this weakness is relative and not a defensive liability.

His defensive attitude is still positive, and he is a qualified wing defender. Especially after joining the Knicks, where the championship is at stake and he is influenced by the team's defensive style, he pays even more attention to defense.

His defensive weaknesses lie in his lack of anticipation, making him easily faked out, and his inability to control fouls. He also focuses on one-on-one defense, lacking awareness of team defense and help defense.

Kobe had just received the ball when Wilkins was about to go up for a physical defense, but he was fooled by the rookie's fake move and then got driven past.

"damn it!"

He was tricked by a rookie and got a little angry. He reached out and pulled, and the referee blew his whistle, indicating that pulling someone was a foul.

"I can beat you to a pulp."

"Fuck you, you damn newbie..."

The newbie had this arrogant attitude, and what he said infuriated Wilkins.

The Lakers attacked again, and Kobe received the ball on the right wing beyond the three-point line. Power forward Shawn Lukes ran up to set a screen.

Kobe glanced at him and waved his hand, saying, "Stop with your damn pick-and-roll, I want to go one-on-one with him."

Wilkins was stunned. Just then, Kobe rushed over, pulled up and jumped to shoot, making a two-pointer.

"Ha ha……"

Jordan laughed triumphantly. This was his little apprentice, who was a bit stubborn and like a newborn calf, but he suited his taste perfectly.

"Their rookies are more arrogant and sharper than ours."

Tang Bei glanced at the Knicks' rookie John Wallace and felt he preferred the Lakers' rookie; a young man who dared to take on challenges and wasn't annoying.

Kobe was substituted after playing for three minutes, and the Lakers' entire starting lineup came on, as did the Knicks.

The score was 38-38 at this point, and the score remained tied for the first three minutes of the second quarter.

Lakers offense.

O'Neal was in the low post on the left wing, Jordan was at the top of the key, and Van Exel had the ball near the left three-point line, forming an offensive triangle on the strong side.

At that moment, before Chris Childs could close in, Van Exel suddenly accelerated and changed direction, breaking through towards the left elbow area.

Tang Bei dared not come up to help defend because O'Neal had strengthened his position at this time. If he helped defend, O'Neal would definitely get under the basket.

The Knicks used a 3-2 zone defense. Tang Bei did not provide help defense, and John Starks in the high post moved quickly, forming a double-team with Childs, who was chasing him, in the left elbow area.

John Starks had cut off the passing angle between Van Exel and Jordan, but Jordan moved quickly and created a new passing angle, allowing Van Exel to successfully distribute the ball.

"brush!"

Jordan received the ball at the top of the left arc and hit an open three-pointer.

Michael Breen immediately commented, "That was a great play. This offensive play made full use of Van Exel's penetration, O'Neal's low-post threat, and Jordan's powerful finishing ability."

Tom Tolbert nodded and said, "Jordan and O'Neal are both players who can't be left open, so if Van Exel gets a breakthrough, the Knicks will be in danger."

(End of this chapter)